Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez Alternate Energy Legislation Advances in The House

Press Release

The Natural Resources Committee voted in favor of H.R. 1014 - Offshore Wind for Territories Act, a bipartisan legislation sponsored by Congresswoman Jenniffer González Colón, which seeks the Department of the Interior to study the feasibility of establishing wind turbines in the waters of the exclusive federal jurisdiction of the United States bordering Puerto Rico and the rest of the territories.

The current law, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), excludes territories from the development of renewable energy resources in the waters and maritime bottom of the outer zone of the continental shelf of the United States.

Over the past few years, there has been consensus around the need to modernize Puerto Rico's power infrastructure by introducing more renewable energy sources, which would in turn reduce its impact on the environment and increase its efficiency. Today, only 2% of the Island's electricity originates from renewables.

"I firmly believe that we must follow all the necessary ways to reduce the high prices of energy in the territories and modernize our electrical infrastructure. The H.R. 1014, is a common sense project that was approved with broad bipartisan support in the last Congress, which would allow residents of the territories cleaner access to electricity, increase revenues and help protect vulnerable coral reefs " said the Congresswoman.

H.R. 1014 seeks to address this omission by amending OCSLA to include Puerto Rico and the rest of the territories. Additionally, the Offshore Wind for Territories Act requires the Department of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies on offshore wind lease sales off all territories. Should a study determine that a wind lease is viable, the Department is directed to conduct a lease sale, under which the territory would receive 37.5% of qualifying revenues for environmental mitigation purposes and 12.5% ​​would be allocated for coral reef conservation.

The National Association of Ocean Industries (NOIA) sent a letter in support of this measure and thanked the Committee on Natural Resources for considering it.

The Offshore Wind for Territories Act is cosponsored by Representatives Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (I-Islas Marianas del Norte), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Darren Soto (D-Florida) and Stacey Plaskett (D- Virgin Islands of the United States). This initiative is seen in the Senate under the S.499 bill of Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI).

Natural Resources Committee Approves equality for territories program

In addition, the Committee on Natural Resources approved the H.R. 1809, bill introduced by Sablan and co-sponsored by the Congresswoman seeking equality in federal funds for promotion of hunting and fishing safety and wildlife protection.

This bill seeks to amend the Pittman-Robertson Law for the Restoration of Wildlife and the Dingell-Johnson Act of Federal Assistance to Recreational Fishing Restoration so that various funds that are distributed to the territories, including Puerto Rico, and to the District of Columbia under those laws, they are partially in proportion to its population, as is done with the states.

These funds are for wildlife restoration projects, educational hunting programs and for the protection of marine and terrestrial fauna and their habitat.

Study on Ocean Acidification

On the other hand, the Science Committee adopted the amendment that the Congresswoman had to HR 1716, to include Puerto Rico and the other territories in the study of the vulnerability of coastal communities related to ocean acidification.

The bill, sponsored by representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME), seeks to make a study on the phenomenon of ocean acidification that occurs when pH levels change (or degree of acidity) in bodies of water through the concentration of CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere.

For the study, the premise is that CO2 emissions are having a negative effect on bodies of water. The study, which will be carried out by NOAA, seeks to identify what are the effects of ocean acidification, which jurisdictions are more vulnerable, how can it be mitigated, and others.

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